Machine for tapering sheet metal blanks



Aug. 4, 1953 H. J. HORN MACHINE FOR TAPERING SHEET METAL BLANKS FiledJuly 30, 1948 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Snucnfor HARRY J. HORN Gttoruegs Aug. 4,1953 H, J, HORN MACHINE FOR TAPERING SHEET METAL BLANKS 5 Sheets-.Sheet2 Filed July 50, 1948 FIG.

' Simeutor HAR RY J. HORN Gttorneg r Aug. 4, 1953 H. J. HORN 2,647,422

MACHINE FOR TAPERING SHEET METAL BLANK-S Fild July 30, 1948 3SheelZS--SheeI 3 lwentor HARRY J. HORN Cttornegs Patented Aug. 4, 1953MACHINE FOR TAPERIN G SHEET METAL BLAN KS Harry J. Horn, Lansing, Mich.,assigner to Motor Wheel Corporation, Lansing, Mich., a corporation ofMichigan Application July 30, 1948, Serial No. 41,601

2 Claims. l

This invention relates to a machine for tapering sheet metal blanks andin particular for tapering sheet metal blanks preparatory to forming thebodies of vehicle wheels therefrom.

It is an object of the invention to produce a machine for taperingvehicle wheel body blanks which is efficient, simple in structure, andeconomical in operation.

In the drawings:

Fig. l is an elevation partly in section showing my machine for taperingwheel disc blanks.

Fig. 2 is a section along the line 2-2 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a fragmentarysection showing in detail the pilot for the disc.

My machine comprises a base I, a head 2 supported on the base by aplurality of posts 3. A movable head 4 is supported on piston 5 which isreciprocably mounted in cylinder 6. A plate 1 is secured to head 4 and aflat circular platen 8 is supported upon plate 1. A small plate Il) iscarried on pilot 9 and arranged to move up and down in openingpositioned centrally of platen 8. The l-ower end |2 of pilot 9 isjournalled in a central opening in plate 1 for both rotary andlongitudinal movement. A compression spring I3 is housed in opening |4in head 4 and acts between plate |5 and the lower end |6 of pilot 9 tourge pilot 9 upwardly so that the upper face of plate I9 normally ispositioned above the upper face of platen 8.

Upward movement of 4pilot 9 is controlled by collar |1 secured by boltsI8 in the upper face of movable head 4. Collar |1 acts between shoulder|2 and shoulder |9 on pilot 9 to limit the upward and downward movementof pilot 9.

A ratchet 29 is xed on pilot 9 and is arranged to be actuated by a pawl2| pivoted as at 22 on rod 23 which is slidably mounted for radialmovement in groove 24 in the upper face of plate 1. The outer end of rod23 engages a bell crank lever 25 which is pivoted as at 26 on head 4 andcontacts the upper end of vertical rod 21 fixed at its lower end to baseA source (not shown) of liquid, such as oil, under pressure is suppliedthrough pipe line 28 to a valve 29 and port 3U to cylinder 6. The liquidis exhausted from cylinder 6 through port 30, valve 29 and line 3|.

The upper part of my tapering machine comprises two arms 32 and 33 whichare pivoted at their upper ends as at 34 and 35 to head 2 to swing abouthorizontal parallel axes. Rollers 36 are journalled upon shafts 31 bymeans of roller bearings 39. Shafts 31 are xed to the lower ends of arms32 and 33 so that cylindrical rollers .36 rotate about axes parallel toaxes 34 and 35.

Axes 34 and 35 are offset equal distances from the extended longitudinalaxis of pilot 9, for example, perpendicular lines dropped from axes 34and 35 to the upper face of platen 8 will intersect the upper face ofplaten 8 a substantial distance to the right and left of pilot 9.

Arms 32 and 33 are arranged to be swung in and out by a hydraulic motorcomprising a cylinder 39, a piston 40 to which is alxed piston rod 4|.Oil under pressure is admitted into cylinder 39 above piston 46 throughline 42 and valve 43 which are connected to a source (not shown) ofliquid under pressure. Liquid under pressure is admitted into cylinder39 beneath piston 40 through line 44 and valve 45 which are alsoconnected to said source of liquid under pressure. The lower end of rod4|, which reciprocates in a -vertical path, is connected by means of atoggle lever comprising levers 46 and |41 with arms 32 and 33respectively.

Levers 46 and 41 are pivoted to the lower end `of piston rod 4| at 48and 49 respectively. Levers 46 and 41 are each adjustably connected totheir to arm 32 by means of collar 56 through which lever 46 passes, pin5| journalled in bracket 52 fixed to arm 32. Collar 50 is xed upon pin5| and the adjusted position of lever 46 in collar 50 is controlled bylock nuts 54 threaded on lever 46 and arranged to clamp collar 50therebetween. The pivotal connection between lever 41 and arm 33 isidentical with the connection :between arm 32 and lever 46 and thereforewill not be described. The eiective length of each lever arm 46 and 41can be controlled, of course, by adjusting the arm in its respectivecollar 50.

The operation of my device is as follows: Arms 32 and 33 are of equallength and rollers 36 are of identical size. Arms 32 and 33 will bepivotally supported on head 2 so that axes 34 and 35 are offset equaldistances from the longitudinal center of pilot 9. Valve 29 will beactuated to exhaust liquid from cylinder 6, thereby causing plate 4 tolower. As plate 4 lowers, rod 21 swings lever 25 clockwise therebysliding rod 23 and pawl 2| to the right which in turn acts throughratchet 20 to index pilot 9 and disc 58 one step or notchcounter-clockwise, as viewed in Fig. 2. The disc 58, which is to betapered, is provided with a central opening which nicely ts thenon-circular contour of pilot 9 so that rotary indexing of pilot 9 willcause corresponding indexing of plate 58. Plate 58, of course, will bemounted upon platen 8 and pilot 9 while head 4 is lowered. At this timespring I3 will hold pilot 9 and plate upwardly the arms androllersv 3,6lnwardlm.. Will/k at their uppermost limit so that the disc 58 does nottouch platen 8.

Preferably piston 4U will be at the upper end of its stroke so that arms32 and 33 are at the inner end of their stroke, full lines Fig. 1. Valve29 is actuated to admit liquid into cylinder 6, causing plate 4p torisegand idisc 58 his brought against rollers 36 .and nspring I3collapses as 'platen 8 moves up against the under face of disc 58. At

this time valve 45 is opened to exhaust and liqlfd,

under pressure is admitted thro l ,l ,L piston 4|, causing piston 4l too'v n"its"dwn ward stroke and act through rod 4I and toggle u" levers 46and 41 to swing arnisf32 and33andtllei I rollers 36 outwardly.

As rollers 36 move outwardly they also move toward the upper face ofplatenfz,thereby.tarngrfv` l ing the disc. Each roller will roll'ortaper'abut" one-eighth of the disc per pass of the roller.'

Valve 43 will now be" opened to exhaust and Operated to lower ,.nead.. 4l, whereupnlindexins mechanism .20?21 indexesthepplatej and disse aboutone-eighth of a turn. Tlielabove desribed operation is nowrepeated untila suilicientnumber of rolling passes. haveheenmade to complete thetapering fof thegdisc wlieieuphrl.1.the` discgis removed.'

Pivots 34 and35iare each mounted uponblocks .60 Yslidably supporteduponhead2 and adjust- Iable thereupon bylmeans of screw'l .'.andQhandwheel. Thus the degree of. taper'irnpa'rted to disc `5&3 'can' becontrolledby adjusting fulcrums or Ypivots 34 .and35A toward or awayfrom the 'extended longitudinal axis of'pilot 9'. Axeszaaandst are'paralleltb eachother and to'the upperplane V rSurface f platen S'WhChsupports 'the blank. 58

From theabrove it is evident-"that the blanlll isoperated'jup'betwee'n'the nsrlppemace of platen 3' dthrbiiers atv'vhizzh opefaterfm adjacent 'the "tenter pr trie' tiapigftowar triecircunifrnce'ofrthe blank; the rolls beiiig"`further frein dieserfait@tfitrreA pates whennfey are pass so that when the arms 32 and 33Aare forced apart by the hydraulically actuated toggle the rolls swing inan arc and toward the platen and thereby cause the disc to be tapered orrolled thinner from the center of the disc toward the circumference ofthe disc.

I claim;

l. In ja' Imachine form tapering blanks of the type having a platen witha plane surface adapted to support a blank to be tapered, thecombination of astationary frame, an arm having a fixed pivotalconnection at its upper end on said frame about an axis located above,and parallel to, the plane surfaceof said platen, the said axis being`positionedfabovethe platen and between the centerla'nd theperiphery ofsaid platen, a freely 1rotatable roller. rfixedly mounted upon the lowerend loi" said arm about an axis parallel to the axiswabout which saidarm pivots so that as the arm swings abouljfsaid lrst mentioned axissaid' roller, is' caused to travelalofng anarcuate path concentric tosaid i'irst mentined axis' and extending in a directionradiallyofsaidgplatc'n, the pivot for.l said 'arnirbeing jpositionedaboveAsaid'platen so that a perpendicularl lineexterided from the axis to theplanevsurface of said platen will join the platen'at'a position asubstantial distance radially outwardlyromLthe center of the platenwhereby as the arm swings irom'the center of the platenvoutw,ardlytowardthe periphery thereof'the rollerjat the :lower end- Qfsaid arm rolls and tapers the, blank so. that thel blank decreases inthickness from the center toward the edge of the blank, and means` forcausing isaldv roller to engage and roll a taper on thejsurface of' ablank' supported' on said )platen 'comprising power actuated togglemeans positively aboutl'its' axis.

2. The combination set forth inlclaim l including means for adjustablymoving'the pivotal connection between sf'alda'ri'nandsaid frame'rlycorintected to saidiarin yior'swingingv saidarm Aa plane parallelto'thapl'ane Surface-'dfwsaid plateri'fand'iria directiongenerallyradially of said platen.'l

HARRY J. HORN.

References Cited inthe le pf this patent

